The conference has done away with divisions. But I've got divisions of my own.

Welcome to SEC Unfiltered, the USA TODAY NETWORK’S newsletter on SEC sports. Today, Knoxville News Sentinel columnist John Adams takes over.

The SEC will become one big 16-team football league this season. But I’m not ready to let divisions go just yet.

I’ve come up with my own dividing line. It won’t be an even split.

I’ve divided the conference into a bunch of championship contenders and a group up also-rans. Someone else might label them haves and have-nots, but that seems too harsh and too final.

After all, this is not an exact science. There’s nothing to prevent one of my also-rans from rising above their assigned status and winning a championship. But don’t bet on it unless you get irresistible odds.

As I mentioned, my divisions aren’t balanced. I have seven teams in the top division, and nine in the second division.

My top seven (listed in order of potential): Georgia, Ole Miss, Texas, Tennessee, Alabama, LSU, and Missouri. If you’re remotely familiar with the conference’s newly improved membership, you should you be able to list the next 10. If not, ask yourself: “Why am I this deep into a column on a subject of which I know so little?”

Now, back to the top. At the very top – no news here – is Georgia. Anyone who picks a preseason top 25 won’t likely rank the Bulldogs below second. And if you pick Georgia second, you probably have Ohio State No. 1.

Although I have become a devout believer in coach Kirby Smart’s ability to steer the Bulldogs to a national championship, I question whether they have the star power of seasons past. They also don’t have an army of proven running backs to support Florida transfer Trevor Etienne. And they could go several decades without finding a tight end as talented and versatile as Brock Bowers.

My only question about Ole Miss: Can it overcome its history of being pretty much a second-class SEC citizen? Oh, it might find a Manning to play quarterback every now and then, but who could expect the Rebels to slug it out with longstanding SEC heavyweights?

That’s just what I’m expecting, though. Coach Lane Kiffin led the Rebels to 11 wins last season, and – thanks to all the gains in the transfer portal – they're now equipped to reach the College Football Playoff.

I also expect Texas and Tennessee to make the playoffs. And I wouldn't rule out a fifth team, though some might view that many SEC playoff representatives as farfetched. But check the name at the top of the column. It’s “SEC Unfiltered,” not “Big Ten” or “Big 12 Unfiltered.”

The rest of my top-tier SEC teams come with questions attached.

How will Alabama handle the coaching transition from Nick Saban to Kalen DeBoer? Can Missouri mount a running game after the departure of Cody Schrader? Has LSU learned how to tackle since last season when almost any team with 11 offensive players on the field at the same time often ended up in the Tigers end zone.

Don’t worry. I’m not dismissing my SEC second division from discussion. I’m saving it for next week.